Understand what an essay is.
Essays are pieces of writing that are generally scholastic in content. Where the content of any essay is concerned, subject or topic matter is unlimited. Length, as well as subject or topic of an essay, are decided upon by the assigning instructor, teacher or professor of a class.
To put an essay in a category would be to place its type of writing between the styles of an article and a short story. While research makes the essay read partly like an article, it is the storylike writing that fulfills the assignment. Therefore, reliable research and your own written words will satisfy the two styles that are what an essay is about.
Know the topic.
Have a clear understanding of the subject or topic on which you will be writing. Take thorough class notes. Your notes will put you in the right direction as do the required research, planning, organization and writing.
Find the resources to create an essay.
Resources, for which to base your essay upon, are a must. It is important that these sources be of credible and solid reference material. Good and solid research supports the planning and writing of an essay. Either online searches or a visit to the library can produce enough information. Your time spent on research, through websites, books or reference materials, will provide you with knowledge that is to be covered in the assigned essay. Studying such material will also give you ideas on how the essay can be created.
Gain writing skills from essay assignments.
Essays allow students a way to express their thoughts on a subject. Studying reference materials will help you to understand an issue and then write about it.
Research the topic.
The Internet and libraries offer lots of reference material for basing an essay upon. Prepare to write an essay by researching a number of books or websites. This greater amount of research will increase your knowledge on the subject or topic, enabling you to write both objective views and personal opinion.
Find an angle or slant to write the essay from.
After becoming familiar with the topic, think about the aspects on which you want to focus your writing. Decide which issues, matters, objectives, opinions, points and views to present. Your originality and choices will make for a better and more interesting essay.
Choose a title for your essay.
Give careful thought to the essay's title. First, think about the topic and then what you would like your slant or angle to be. Consider a title that will represent the essay, though not to reveal of its content. The title should capture the attention of the reader and provide the promise of a good read.
Qualify the essay's title.
As a lead-in to the title of the essay, write a qualifying statement. This statement, written and placed above your title, will act as a preview. The purpose of this lead-in is to provide reasoning for the title and the content that will follow, and, as with the title, not give away the essay's content too soon. The intent is to introduce and present, while creating some hints as to the content. The qualifying statement should be no longer than three sentences.
Provide a subtitle and then an overview to give worth to the essay.
To give reasoning for the title, create a subtitle. The subtitle will focus more directly upon the essay's actual content.
An overview is similar to a book's synopsis. It will let the reader know more about the subject. Also included within this overview will be the promise of objectives, your opinions and final views. This overview should not be a summary of the essay. It should be, rather, offer a brief and interesting description of what is to be learned in the essay. Four to six sentences should be enough writing to describe the essay's content.
Develop subheadings.
Subheadings are similar to subtitles. The subtitle brings further definition to a title. The subheadings, which are placed within the essay's content, act as hosts. These subheadings highlight the areas of content, along with bringing focus and organization to the essay. When you create and develop the subheadings, think of them as being a cross between a title and a short sentence. Write each of your subheadings in a way that they will introduce the content that follows.
As to the number of sub-headings that can be used within an essay, there are no limits. For good reason, a realistic amount of content must follow each sub-heading. Think of writing upon each of the sub-headed areas that you have created--from start to finish. When using this type of organization, all areas of content within the essay will have a sub-heading.
Prepare to write the essay.
Whether you are using websites or hard copy references, it is best to have your research material close at hand. Organize and make ready all typed or written notes that will be used to fill in the essay's content.
Be sure to note the sources of all research conducted. From these noted references, such as websites, books or encyclopedias, you will list what is referred to as a bibliography at the ending of your essay.
At this point, with the essay's angle or slant selected and understood, along with its lead-in title qualifier, title, subtitle, overview, and subheadings noted, ready and at your side, you are prepared to begin the actual writing process.
Apply your form to writing the essay.
The writing form that you will use to write the essay is prose. As a writing form, prose is ordinary written language. Prose includes good grammar, punctuation, sentences and paragraphs. It is not formal. As a natural and conversational-type style of writing, prose allows your personality and knowledge to be placed upon paper.
Complete the essay within the progressive outline.
In support of understanding, organizing and completing all of the steps that are about the writing of essays, is the progressive outline. The progressive outline is your planned elements, which are the lead-in title qualifier, title, subtitle, overview, and subheadings.
Knowing that all elements are in place, you can follow the pattern.